What Akin’s Supporters Are Saying (and He Has Many)

The Republican establishment swore they would cut off the funding for Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s senate run to encourage him to drop out of the race against Sen. Claire McCaskill. Not only has Akin refused them, he’s now starting to wonder if he even needs them.

He’s still got the support of fellow congress members, most notably Iowa Rep. Steve King. It is no surprise that Arizona Congressman and wannabe D.C. mayor Trent Franks is a fan as well.

“I definitely believe that he should still be a member of Congress,” said Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who has worked with Akin in fights against abortion. “If everyone truly understood this man, and knew this man like I do . . . they would be honored to have him as a congressman.”

Also behind him and backing up his “legitimate rape” claim is Judie Brown of the American Life League, a group dedicated to “traditional morality” and eliminating access to and use of birth control.

It is astounding that the media has created such a circus over the awkward comments of Congressman Todd Akin on the subject of “legitimate rape.”

While I am not quite sure what he meant to say, I can guess that he was attempting to define an actual criminal act in contrast to the rape claims sometimes attributed to dating experiences gone wrong, when the female in question changes her mind and decides she never said yes in the first place.

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Personally, I am grateful that Akin brought the snakes out of their pit so that we can see clearly who they are and what their game is. Bring it on.

The radical right is putting their money where their mouths are, too. Within 24 hours, Akin had raised nearly $100,000, showing stamina at least among the grassroots supporters.

It remains to be seen if anti-abortion donors can offset all the Republican money Akin is losing. Several major anti-abortion organizations are rallying around him, including the Family Research Council and the Susan B. Anthony List, as well as state-level groups like Missouri Right to Life, which said in a statement that it “supports Congressman Akin’s defense of the life of an innocent unborn child conceived by rape.” What this means in dollar terms, though, is unclear. Nearly $100,000 in one day is a lot of money, but he’ll need more than that to run a successful Senate campaign.

He will need more, which is no doubt why he is still in the race. The GOP is in essence testing the waters to see how long the public’s memory really is. Will a convention, Labor Day weekend, and the official start of the campaign season allow Akin’s exposure of true Republican party ideals to fade? The GOP is waiting for another poll and a few media cycles to pass before making a real decision on the race, and only after that will they decide whether they stand with him or will throw him out because the senate is truly in jeopardy.